Law of the Land
by Belldew
Summary: Kagome and her child have been in danger since the day she was born, and after years of hiding they are finally found. Unfortunately, the law is not on their side.
1. Chapter 1

"One more! Come on, biiig push!"

Her screams of anguish echoed off the clean, white walls. The covers at either side of her became life supports, and the fabric was starting to strain. She huffed harsh breaths through her clenched teeth, praying, brow furrowed in determination as sweat ran down her forehead. Her dark hair clung to her skin.

"There we go, just a little more, Miss Higurashi! I've got—"

"AAAGH!"

Kagome pounded her fist against the safety rail, but it did nothing to ease the searing red pain. The nurses kept urging her, encouraging her. She tensed every muscle she had, and after a few more agonizing moments, there was an enormous release of pressure. Her grip loosened on the blankets, and her head fell back to the pile of pillows in a heap. It took a few moments for her to catch up to her panting breaths. It did not take nearly as long for the subsequent silence to catch up with her.

Kagome lifted up to her elbows, looking over her still distended abdomen to the white clad figures standing just beyond her bed.

She couldn't hear anything.

There was the soft beeping of a few machines, quiet whirring here and there, her own breaths, still slightly ragged.

The doctor wouldn't look at her.

Her already flushed complexion went pallid as he handed the silent bundle to the nurse at his side with a terse whisper.

"W-what is it? What happened?" The volume in her voice had since died away, leaving her with the same hushed tone. "Doctor..?"

The middle-aged man slowly pulled off his latex gloves with a snap, still rooted in place on the scuffed tile floor.

"I'm sorry, Miss Higurashi. It must have been too stressful for his body and..."

He didn't need to finish, as she had already burst into tears. The rivers streamed down her cheeks, and she jerked her head side to side in refusal. They left darkened dots scattered over her light blue hospital gown.

"I know this is very hard for you. You have my condolences, all of ours—"

"Stop, stop— just STOP!"

Kagome crushed her hands over her ears. They trembled, along with her entire upper body. The doctor remained silent, as instructed, giving her a moment. Though a few seconds later he turned to the nurse at his side.

"It think it would be best if you went ahead and took him away..." he murmured, glancing back at the shivering form before them.

Her head snapped up, giving him a jolt. In that short time, she had already transformed again. Kagome stared back at him with the most beaten, pained look in her blue eyes. A look he was sure would haunt him. He put a hand on the nurse's arm to halt her steps, his fingers just brushing the silent blanket.

"You can have some time alone if you prefer... time with him. Some find it helps give closure, but only if you feel you are ready."

A fresh crop of tears formed in her already moist eyes, and without a word she reached out. Minute quivers passed down her outstretched arms. The nurse gave her superior a mournful glance, then approached and placed the little bundle into the woman's arms. The trio all turned and filed out of the room, closing the door with a soft, final click.

Kagome stared down into her arms at the blank, white space. He was so impossibly light... so impossibly calm and quiet. His presence so ethereal. She feared that any wrong movement and he would poof out of existence forever. Through her blurred, wavering vision, she pulled the cloth away, staring down at his serene, sleeping face.

* * *

The demoness pursed her ruby lips and glared down at the shimmering phone. The low thrum prodded for her attention again and again before she gave in at last. She tapped the flashing green arrow and lifted it to her ear, saying nothing.

 _"They said you were doing well,"_ a velvet male voice sounded from the receiver.

"Happiest day of my life... with enough painkillers, maybe. Still, I would rather be where you are," she cooed.

 _"Well, did you take care of it?"_

Kagura paused. Her brick-colored nails tapped on the sterile white blanket covering her legs, the unflattering blue hospital gown hanging off one of her shoulders. Her lips curled into a frown.

"Yeah... Yes. I told you, just let me handle it."

With that, she took the phone away and tapped the little red icon next to his picture. That saccharine grin of his blinked away. Kagura lay the phone to her left side, and glanced over to her right. At the small, standard issue bassinet resting just beyond the safety railing. At the sleeping infant inside, her mouth drooping open in her slumber. Her frown grew deeper, and she reached for the phone one more time.

* * *

Kagome kept a tight leash on her breathing, which had calmed to be almost inaudible. In the stark loneliness, the relative silence of the small hospital room had been maintained. It had only been broken by the rustling of clothes and the light patter of shoes as they retrieved her baby boy from her arms. Then it settled again like a blanket over her senses. She could just barely hear herself sniffling. It seemed oddly disrespectful to break the silence. It was his silence. But she didn't have a choice after long. A knock cracked the air.

A few moments of silence passed, Kagome just looking at the fuzzy black shape through the frosted glass, and the shape looking back.

"Hey in there, I know you're awake," a woman's voice called through the door, loud enough to hear but also carrying a hushed effort with it.

"...come in."

The knob turned, and the fuzzy shape turned out to be the very nurse that had attended Kagome not three hours before. The elegant voice, however, had not been hers. There was a slight creak as she pushed the wheelchair into the room, upon which sat a young, sophisticated looking woman. Her scarlet eyes and pointed ears drew the eye among what had been a mostly human staff and patient list. The nurse rolled her right up to Kagome's bedside, the woman staring directly into her eyes the entire way. Even she could detect the cloying waft of expensive perfume the closer they came. Kagome glanced between the two. She stopped a little longer to linger on the avoidant nurse.

"...what is this?"

"They told me about what just happened, you know."

It was more a statement of fact than any sort of sympathetic condolence. She didn't know how to respond, whether or not to be offended that the nurse had leaked her private pain, so she only stared.

"Who are you..? What does this have to do with you?"

Kagura leaned on the armrest of her wheelchair. She rested her chin on her hand as she regarded the similarly dressed woman in the bed, then shook her head a bit to herself, a rueful smile on her painted lips.

"Nothing, yet." She leaned back, and the chair groaned a bit in response. "I'm not going to pretend to know what's going on in your head after something like that. And I'm going to have to apologize in advance, but it's actually... fortuitous. Not that you lost your son, but that we were both here. At the same time, doing the same thing."

Kagome's face contorted into one of fury, her fingers clenching around the blankets.

"Get out—"

"I want to make a deal. I want to give you something."

The intruder turned, looking to the fidgety nurse, and waved her hand. The woman left the tense room that very second, but Kagome could see her just outside the door motioning to someone else. Another ivory-clad nurse entered the room shortly after. Her arms were not empty.

Kagome's eyes widened. She turned them back on the woman in the chair.

"This isn't serious... wh-what is this?"

"Listen. Higurashi, was it? I didn't plan for things to end up this way... I had everything laid out much more smoothly. But I only have about thirty minutes before the father of that child shows up, and that child is not supposed to return home with me. I am a very wealthy woman... but I made a mistake. We all make mistakes..." she said, a glimpse of genuine emotion hiding behind her smoldering eyes for just a second.

She ran a hand over her forehead, through her hair.

"I can't take her with me. And for her own safety, it's best that no one knows about her. She would never, ever be safe. I wanted to have her quietly smuggled away, you know? But there's no time for the original plan anymore. So I want to make a deal with you. This isn't a trick," she added, seeing tears start to fall, Kagome's shoulders trembling at the sight of the stirring infant.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered in a shaky voice, to which Kagura gave a stern shake of her head.

She leaned forward, placing a hand over Kagome's quaking one.

"I'm not doing this to you, but for you. Both of you. It's the perfect opportunity to get her in the hands of someone who can take care of her."

"You... you paid them off, didn't you?"

"Not just them. Your doctor, mine, and a few others. You'll have all the proper adoption papers, everything will be taken care of as if she was 100% yours. I'll give you enough to relocate and get on your feet, and yes, it is that serious. All you have to do is take her out of here and raise her like you would have your own kid. And not to speak of this day to anyone. She is a demon, but... I don't know, make something up. That part will have to be up to you."

Kagome repeatedly shook her head, tears spilling in all directions. She felt like her chest was going to cave in. "I can't, th-this is ridiculous—"

"Look, we don't have much time. You lost your son, I'm sorry, but this is a chance you can help another defenseless child avoid a similar fate. Because if the man after her finds out she made it past today, then there's not going to be a thing I can do about it. You can be the one to help her disappear. Now are you going to help her or not, because in a few minutes it's not going to matter."

Kagura pinched her lips together. The clock wasn't ticking in reverse by then. She waved a snappy hand at the second nurse. The woman came forward with the newborn and walked right up to Kagome's bedside, then leaned over her with the child extended.

"N-no, don't make me—"

Kagome couldn't help but open her arms, it was either take the baby or let it lay on her lap. She stared down and was effectively silenced by the little beauty. In her arms, the tiny thing gurgled and cooed to herself, a scruff of brown hair covering her sweet little head. Her resolved crumpled at the sight of such a perfect little thing, right down to her delicately pointed ears, so matching her mother's own shape. Kagome's wide eyes examined every visible inch, from her chubby hands, the redness on her full cheeks, the illegible, but calming little sounds that emanated from her as she fidgeted in a light drowse. The demoness's scarlet eyes were glued to her face for the full minute, no one saying a word, before Kagura shifted in her wheelchair.

"What do you say now then?"

Kagome didn't, couldn't look away. But as she stared down into the peaceful, sleeping face, a deep ache shifted in her chest. She nodded, slightly at first, then more resolutely, holding the baby close.

A slow, faint smile graced the youkai's lips, and she briefly closed her eyes.

"She'll need a name, you know..."

* * *

"Rin? Come on down, it's time for breakfast."

Down the squeaky wooden stairs the young girl bounded, making a beeline for the kitchen and climbing up onto the barstool opposite Kagome, who gave her a pointed squint. Rin scratched her head with a grin.

"Sorry sorry, no more running."

"Well I've heard that one before, buuut I'll forgive you just this once... again."

They both shared a giggle as Kagome set the plate of toast and eggs down on the counter in front of the little girl, who's smile morphed into a confused frown. She lifted a corner of the buttery bread and peeked below.

"No bacon again? Not even hot dogs?"

Steam erupted from the frying pan as Kagome ran it under cold water, back turned to Rin in the cramped kitchen. She started to scrub the stubborn egg bits from the well-used skillet.

"Money was a little tight again, sweetie, maybe next week we can go grocery shopping and I'll let you pick what you like."

Rin watched her back as her hands worked in the soapy water. It was no secret to her that times were tough. Fancy meals and things like meat were hard to come by some weeks, and every time her mother explained it to her, she always avoided eye contact and smiled too sadly. She grabbed a triangle of toast and stuffed it into her mouth, focusing on the buttery flavor instead of the lack of bacon.

"Ish okay, mama! I luff your breffast all the time, no matta waht!" the girl said chirped through the mouthful of bread, to which her mother glanced over her shoulder and began to genuinely laugh.

Rin beamed at her own antics, but even more so at the reaction she got. The two finished their simple meal together, and after Kagome donned one of many aprons, they left hand in hand to catch the bus.


	2. Chapter 2

The evening rays were already beginning to filter through his window, obscured by the overcast sky. They cast a greyish film over everything in the office. The few struggling rays of light glinted off the decorative crescent moon statuette sitting beside his name plate.

Sesshoumaru stared down his nose at the stack of papers, completely ignoring the woman as she sat with arms crossed. She didn't mind too much. Through their limited meetings over the years, he had always treated her with disdain. It was a grown man's version of a childish pout, really. Kagura prided herself on seeing through the charade that would have terrified anyone else.

His golden eyes finally flicked up from the folder. "And you say he could not tell me himself because..?"

"You aren't the only busy youkai in the city, love."

His eyes narrowed, and she raised her hands in surrender.

"Don't shoot the messenger, Sesshoumaru."

" _Lord_ Sesshoumaru, in case you have forgotten. Even a woman like you should show a modicum of respect where it is due."

At this, Kagura gave a haughty scoff.

"Oh please, again with this? I came all the way here—in this dreadful weather, mind you—to hand-deliver these specifically _because_ Naraku refused to trust an underling. We both respect you."

"Yes, you seem to do many things because that spider prefers it, don't you?" he quipped from behind a page, placing it down on the pile in exchange for another.

Kagura's lips tightened into a thin line.

"Now, tell me about this so-called urgent course of action he would have me take."

She crossed her arms under her breasts, glaring forward.

"It's all there in black and blue," she said as he studied the gory photographs spread out over his cherry wood desk. "You're the lord, something has to be done about it, and it's not a human issue. Twelve years of business and all along he's been doing such heinous things behind Naraku's back. And thought he could get away with it, too."

The taiyoukai continued on through the grim reports, scanning across each line of text and tattered corpse, or what was left of them.

"Hn. It seems I would know much of how Naraku feels in this regard. Or perhaps our friend karma has finally given him a taste."

That was it. Her eyebrow twitched, and Kagura nearly blew steam from her nostrils.

"I'm done with this. It was in the past, _Lord_ Sesshoumaru. I've moved on. You should try it, you know. Whining over old news isn't all that becoming of you."

His eyes tightened on her, the air in the room growing thick and electrified.

"Do forgive me if I'm still holding some hostility against the one who betrayed my mark."

"Once!" Her hand slammed down on the desk. "One. Time."

"Was it once, Kagura? You and he seemed to move on rather abruptly after our separation."

The daggers they glared clashed over the five-foot battlefield. With a steady calm, the silver haired male placed his hands down on the large desk.

"You are lucky I don't possess human senses, because I am not sure I could have waited long enough for a test to be done. And if I had smelled that the pup was not mine..." his eyes darkened considerably on her, "...you would have ended up very much like the people in these photographs."

Slowly, Kagura's backside returned to the comfort of her chair, maintaining his gaze the entire way. Her fists clenched and released.

"How long are you going to keep blaming me for that? What more could I have done? You heard the doctors—"

"You could have at least let me see her, not have her carted off before I arrived like some sort of insignificant refuse. You could have given me that tiny ounce of respect. Gods, woman, she was my only child," he said, his steady voice slowly rattling.

"I apologized for all that, damnit. I was obviously under a massive amount of stress, in case you've so conveniently forgotten," she retorted. "Wherever she is, I'm sure she's still—"

Kagura's face fell into one of shock. She brought her trembling hand up to cover her mouth.

Sesshoumaru stared at her, genuinely stared, and in those deathly amber eyes there was real confusion. And then rage.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothin—"

"You had better choose your next words very, very carefully, Kagura. Very carefully."

She locked up in that position, and for a tense while the two of them sat like statues. His claws tightened on the arms of his high-backed chair, the leather whimpering under the strength of his hands. Sesshoumaru's blood was starting to run hot. His pulse was throbbing in his ears. He could practically hear her own doing the same. He took a few long breaths through his nose, closing his eyes for a moment while the cocktail of anxiety and fear entered his nose.

"A rushed cremation... that is what you left me with. Ashes and not a single memory... and now you tell me not even the ashes were real?"

Kagura sat in the vacuum of his glare. Her nails twitched against the fabric of her designer clutch, but her lips were sealed. Her vision dragged to the left, but she could feel his aura flaring, growing more wild and dangerous with each restrained breath.

Sesshoumaru pushed the evidence aside, the grisly photos, the eyewitness accounts, all of it. His fangs were growing sharper, and every few seconds his vision flashed the color of blood.

"Is my daughter alive, Kagura?"

The timbre of his voice was an unnatural calm. Maybe she could have kept up a decent act back then, when he was as distraught as she pretended to be, when all the sights and sounds and emotions were just too overwhelming, but not today. He knew he wouldn't catch the liar's spike in her scent. He got his answer when she said nothing.

"Where?" he demanded. He leapt to his feet when she didn't respond, looming over the desk and glowering down at her.

"Where!?" he roared.

Kagura flinched away. Her voice was softer then he'd ever heard it, much too soft to fit her face.

"I honestly don't know..."

He threw the sturdy little statue to shatter against the wall with a guttural snarl. A light cloud of grey ash drifted from the broken pieces. "OUT! Get out, you worthless wind bitch!"

Despite her muscles primed and ready, she remained glued to the seat. His fury cast a barrier around her that she was too wary to break. Neither fight nor flight seemed viable.

"I knew you were rotten down to your very essence, but I was a damned fool. I actually considered you, YOU, worthy. But even a cunning bitch like you could never pull off something so low, I thought. No. Wrong again, Sesshoumaru."

He ran a hand through his hair, his long fingers actually twitching a bit.

"I even suspected something was amiss. But I figured you had been through so much, why in the hell would I harass you after losing our pup under such circumstances? You were still pack. I tried to _console_ you... you disgusting creature."

"Sesshoumaru, I—"

"Don't say my name so casually, wench."

"I didn't want any of this to happen!" she screeched, almost in tears. Kagura dabbed them away with her fingers, just barely brushing the outer corners of her eyes.

"Oh? It was all because of him then? You let a disgusting half-breed, not even worth killing for sport, come between me and my pup? Let me believe that she had died before ever seeing the light of day, and all the while she has been out here in the world somewhere without her father this entire time? Living gods know what kind of life if the two of you are any indication..."

"It's not like that. You were always like this, Sesshoumaru. Of course you wouldn't understand…"

He turned his head away, his arm pointing across the room.

"Leave… before I do something I regret. I will not tell you again, Kagura."

She stared at the side of his face, backlit by the dull grey light. His fangs had grown ever sharper. Kagura grit her own. She snatched up her things and stormed towards the door without even a passing glance over her shoulder.

* * *

Sesshoumaru paced back and forth across the room, his hands locked behind his back. There'd been no word... how the hell had there been no word after three whole days? What was the point of money and power if something so simple couldn't be done? Kagura was keeping her usually oh so talkative mouth sealed like a vault. The police were useless wastes of flesh. He'd sent investigators instead to scour the hospital's records despite what human laws might have had to say about it. It was out of their hands.

But Sesshoumaru slammed down the phone yet another time that day. This was ridiculous. Something was there, some forgotten scrap of information, but what were they all missing? He chose an empty spot of his king sized bed, which had since been covered in a thick snowfall of envelopes and manila folders, and began another shift.

Hours passed as he scoured the loads and loads of medical papers, pawing through the folders. His amber eyes ripped through each page before tossing it into another haphazard pile and grabbing the next when they offered him nothing. There had to be a lead somewhere...

After forty tedious medical records, even his head started to hurt. Years' worth of frustration and stress crammed into a few days would do that, he figured. Every muscle in his body had been tense since the moment she accidentally blurted those words. The taiyoukai rubbed his temple, focusing his sharp eyes on the parade of letters marching before him. Birth records from that day, including the day before just to be safe. He couldn't quite recall seeing her the night before the child was born. Who knew the bounds of that woman's trickery...

Sesshoumaru forged on. He sifted through countless names, not sure if he could even trust looking for a female child. Maybe she'd deceived him about that, too. Maybe he had a son waiting for him.

The detectives had initially scoured Shourin General Hospital's records, of course, but Sesshoumaru was determined to check every maternity ward within 50 miles of them, just to be sure. When no leads turned up, he went back to ground zero and decided to look through the information himself. Anything regarding a newborn in that hospital on that day or the day before was in his hands. Any of those children could be his own lost pup... and he had no clue which, if any. He was just as furious with himself for letting it all happen. Sesshoumaru picked up a photocopy, a rather familiar looking death certificate, and gingerly placed it face down in a small but solemn little pile by his thigh with a few other lonely papers.

His eyes were growing heavy, but he moved on to the next: a live birth, fortunately.

But something about the next document caught his eye. A live birth, yes, but this was not just a birth certificate. Attached was a letter of adoption, apparently filled out mere hours after the child was born. Sesshoumaru did not know much about adoptions, but usually the paperwork was extensive and took months, completed well before the baby was born.

He double, triple checked the pages. And then he grabbed his coat.

* * *

Kagome dragged herself through the door, a sleeping Rin dangling her arms off the woman's shoulders. She blew a puff of air through her cheeks once inside before shoving the door closed with her foot and reaching back to click the deadbolt into place. As she set down her purse on the small table, she glanced around the small, somewhat cozy apartment. The first few moves had been out of paranoia, the last one out of necessity. She couldn't raise her daughter in a place like that. Kagome checked the deadbolt again.

With her baby girl slipped out of her school clothes and into a pink, butterfly-speckled nightgown, the blue-eyed woman released her hair from its bun and rubbed the side of her head to ward off the mild headache sneaking up. If that last table would have at least tipped her something, maybe she could say the annoyance was worth it. Instead she muttered something about cheap bastards and made her way to the shower to scrub off the film of work that clung to her skin.

The hot water called out gratified sighs. People in her tax bracket couldn't afford many indulgences outside the natural world—sunsets and all that—but hot water, as hot as she could stand it, now that was luxury. By the time she stepped out, Kagome was thoroughly boiled and as relaxed as cooked spaghetti. She went to bed with a lazy smile on her lips. If they woke up later, she'd pop a pizza into the oven—a Friday night treat.

The forceful banging snapped her up in a flurry of arms and legs, pulling the covers up to her racing heart.

BANG BANG BANG.

Kagome jumped out of bed, throwing on a pair of socks and jogging out into the hallway. Through the thin opening, she peeked into Rin's room at the stirring lump in the covers with a bit of relief. Another round of hard knocks reclaimed her attention. Kagome tiptoed down the short hallway. There was a clear view of their front door across the tiny living room/dining area. The square window in the middle displayed moving shadows through the white, ruffled valance Rin had picked out.

"This is the police. Open up, please, whoever is inside," a man called through the wood.

Kagome crept up to the door, pressing her back the wall beside it. With one finger, she gingerly lifted the flowery fabric to peek outside. There were at least four figures that she could see in the orange streetlight glow. Two were, in fact, wearing police uniforms that looked real. Her stomach couldn't decide whether or not to drop.

The figure in the center of the two officers was standing rigid in the tight outdoor passage. She slowly pulled her finger away, but as she did her nail scraped against the window's edge and those golden eyes snapped right onto her. Kagome jerked back. There was whispering on the other side.

"Miss Higurashi, we know you are inside," the same officer called. "We just want to talk to you in regards to an investigation."

Icy terror flew through her veins, and she became painfully aware that she was, in fact, awake. It was finally happening.

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed. Please check in next Friday evening for Chapter 3 ~


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome clutched her arms to her chest, feeling like it was going to cave in any moment. She swallowed hard and, after a deep inhale, reached out to turn the deadbolts with a hard, echoing click for each. She squeaked the door open no more than three inches, just enough for a single eye to survey the backlit figures.

"Yes?" she said, her voice already thin and airy.

Her eyes adjusted more to the buzzing, occasionally flickering streetlights. Two officers, fairly regular looking men, and two men in expensive suits. The man that had spooked her, a towering youkai with flowing silver hair, stood like a marble sculpture in between the officers. The other suited youkai stood off to the side of the group, near her neighbors' door. She could tell by the claws wrapped around the handle of his briefcase. They all looked ridiculous crammed into the small space between her front door and the iron railing of the second floor.

"Kagome Higurashi, is that correct?" the younger, thinner officer asked with an attempt at a comforting look on his face that just ended up awkward and forced.

She scanned him again, though she struggled to keep her focus off the man between the officers.

"What is this about?"

"Mama..?"

Rin's voice floated in from behind her and—though Kagome hoped to block it—out into the night air. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. She saw his nostrils flare ever so noticeably. The woman kept her body rigid to shield the thin band of visibility

"Miss, we're going to have to ask you a few questions about a missing persons case that just opened up. May we, please?" He motioned to the taught chain bridging the door and inner wall.

"No, you can stay there unless you have some kind of warrant. I can answer your questions from here, thank you."

There was a slight tremble to her voice. Without breaking eye contact with the men, she shooed Rin away with her idle hand.

The ire roiling off the tall youkai was palpable.

"I do not have time for this," he huffed. "That girl could be my kin. Tell her she has no legal right to refuse me."

Sesshoumaru glared down at the human police officer, who rubbed the side of his arm. The other youkai man stepped forward, bearing a thick black folder stuffed with what looked like other manila folders.

"Lord Sesshoumaru is correct," he said in a calm, low voice. "This is a youkai matter and a rather serious one at that. Even I can smell from here that the child is a full-blooded demon, and that is enough cause for us to get a look at her and ask some questions."

Kagome's chest prickled with every labored breath. Could this be the man... the one that Rin was so in danger of that she ended up in her care? She felt her skin go clammy as the four pairs of eyes turned back to her through the slender opening, the young officer's frown brimming with pity.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you're going to have to open up and let us inside. As long as everything checks out we should be out of your hair in a few minutes. Alright?"

The older officer, a man in his forties, casually brought his arm to rest on the handle of his nightstick. She glanced over her shoulder, relieved to see the empty space behind her. Kagome steeled herself and closed the door to unlatch the chain.

* * *

The four men took up close to the majority of her apartment. The imposing 'Lord' stood at the side of her worn couch along with the senior officer. The attorney and young officer both took a seat opposite her floral cushioned folding chair. It seemed oddly reminiscent of an old cop drama, only doubled. Though the one sympathetic party tried his best to make himself seem softer, less threatening than she already pegged him as.

"Okay, Miss Higurashi. We know that you would like to put your daughter back to bed, so we won't take up much time. We just want to ask a few questions about you both and maybe see some paperwork. Just a standard affair. We've visited several families today, actually."

Sesshoumaru smelled the spike in his scent, but he kept his eyes glued to the woman. She was fidgeting with the hem of her oversized t-shirt.

"We are on the trail of a possible missing child. Mister Taisho and his… wife? Their daughter passed away during birth several years ago—six years, exactly—and it has come to our attention that this may have been a false account due to some new information."

Her heart officially dropped, pounding rivets into the inside of her chest.

"I-I see…"

She squeezed her hands together and clenched her jaw tight. Sesshoumaru was tunnel visioned on her every movement, but his attention was split. The faint rustles from the hallway and glimpses of brown hair just over her shoulder were pulling him away from the moment.

"Right, very tragic. Mister Taisho and his hired detectives have been going through the hospital's records for any anomalies and, well... your name came up."

He leaned forward on the couch a bit, fidgeting with his hat in his hands. His voice softened a fair amount.

"I would just like to say that I'm very sorry for your loss. It's not my intention to bring up any painful memories. But we found a record of adoption for your daughter that very day, and her birth certificate was also from the same day. It was... strange."

"Extremely so," the attorney butt in. "Miss Higurashi, are you aware of just how bizarre that is? A human woman, especially in your condition having just lost a child hours before, completing a legal adoption at the same hospital before even being discharged? Adopting a child born probably within minutes of your own? A youkai, at that?"

"Now wait a minute—!"

"Silence," Sesshoumaru's voice rang with command. "I have heard more than enough. If what I suspect is true, then you knew this would happen. Bring out the girl and let me see her. I will know if she is mine."

Kagome leapt to her feet. A chain reaction rippled through the mob, all except for the taiyoukai. Both officers stood to intercept her, and the lawyer buckled his briefcase closed, documents unshown. The heavyset member of the group held out his hands to stop her.

"Keep it calm, lady. Unfortunately for you this is out of our hands. You gotta let him see the girl. No one's gonna hurt her, we'll be right here supervising the whole thing."

He motioned to his partner, who walked off into the back of the apartment, sending Kagome into hysterics.

"Wait! You don't understand—"

"Mama?"

She spun around at the small voice. There was a distinct wobble to it. Rin's eyes flitted from one stranger to the next as she was lead into the crowded room. Her lower lip was trembling. It was too much for Kagome to idly watch.

"You don't know what you're doing! That man could hurt my daughter!" she cried.

Kagome made a move for Rin, but the heavy officer grabbed her arm, trying to get her to still. When she kept struggling, however, he grew frustrated.

"Either calm it down or I'll have to cuff ya, got it? Ah damnit..."

He pulled the silver handcuffs from his belt buckle and slapped one over her wrist. The other he left free.

Kagome flailed and struggled in the cuff while the tears started down Rin's cheeks, eventually prompting the officer to restrain her fully. He wrestled her hands behind her back, all the while cursing under his breath. As the metal lock clicked into place, the young man led a frightened looking Rin towards the center of the room with a gentle hand. She kept her trusty plush toy clutched to her chest.

"Keep him away from her, please!"

Kagome railed against the restraints, but the snowy-haired youkai only strolled past her couch. Her mouth dried out, and her struggles died down. The red-eyed woman's warnings were ricocheting in her head. _She is not safe..._

With both hands locked behind her back, she could only watch helplessly as the tyrant approached her innocent child and knelt down in front of her. Sesshoumaru stared directly into Rin's eyes, the deep color of rust. He scrutinized every feature: her dark hair, the tiny points that tipped her fingers and canine teeth as she bit down on her lip. The child seemed to shy away from him.

There were no elegant slashes on her tear-streaked cheeks, nor a crescent moon like the one that adorned his own forehead as he had hoped. His scent had long since faded, but there were other ways to diagnose the situation.

"Child," he began, voice calm and lacking the razor edge of before, "do you know anything about your aura?"

Rin sniffled and tilted her head at the stranger with odd questions.

"My what..?"

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes briefly and let a smooth exhale flow through his nose. Of course she would have no idea, being raised by a human.

He reached out, extending his clawed hand which roused another bout of protests from the distraught mother. Protests that were ignored with ease.

"Would you hold my hand for a moment? I would like to test something."

"You don't have to do that, Rin. You don't have to listen to a word he says. He's a stranger, remember? Remember what we learned?" Kagome's voice shook as she spoke.

The young girl cradled the stuffed toy closer, shying away even more.

"My... my mommy says not to listen to strangers. Miss Reina at school says so, too. If a stranger tries to give me something or touch me I'm supposed to tell a grown up or..."

She pointed a stubby finger to each police officer in turn. Sesshoumaru continued watching her, letting her scrub her face with the side of her sleeve, then shook his head.

"No, child. In this situation, things are different. The police are here to make sure everyone is safe, and your mother is not cooperating. I simply need to see if the energy inside you is similar to mine. We will stay in this very spot, and it will only take a moment."

"Damnit... damnit!" Kagome muttered under her breath, her vision wavering on the floor as she grit her teeth.

Rin furrowed her brow.

"It's okay, mama. I'm not going anywhere, 'kay? It'll just take a sec."

With a nervous, reassuring look to her mother, Rin reached out to take the large man's hand, being careful of his very sharp claws. He closed his eyes again, and the room seemed to go a bit... green. A warmth seeped through her hand and up her arm, eventually enveloping her. It felt somehow familiar, even comforting. Like the feeling of snuggling close to her mom, surrounded by blankets. She could feel a twinge of intuition deep in her chest, somehow knowing that nothing could go wrong. Rin's mouth hung open for a moment.

And then… she smiled.

All eyes were on the strange scene playing out before them, the two police officers passing darted glances between one another. The subtleties of youkai culture were a bit out of reach. Kagome fought to hold her breath and let it out in even streams.

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and pulled his hand away. And with that, the intensity of the feeling seemed to withdraw back into him. It had only lasted a minute, and some of the sensation still lingered on her fingertips, but it had felt like so much longer. The child's curious gaze held his own as he stood to his full, imposing height.

"She is my pup," he stated.

Sesshoumaru turned to his lawyer, who gave a nod to the policemen.

"Ma'am, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say—"

"What!?"

"We are going to have to take you into custody for questioning."

Rin's previous calm had fallen away. What started as a frightened trembling soon devolved into inconsolable sobs. She babbled her pleas to the officers, staining her stuffed dog with her tears.

"You can't let her go with him, you don't know what that man could be capable of! You would let him take my child just because he says so? My daughter needs to be protected!" Kagome screeched.

The attorney stepped forward before she could do too much damage to her wrists. He wasn't too much taller than her own meager height, but he leaned down towards her all the same.

"She's not going with Lord Sesshoumaru, Miss Higurashi. At least not until more definitive proof can be found. This is a human matter as much as it is a demon one. There will be a DNA test, and until there is she will remain in protective custody. Nothing will happen to her."

Kagome was distraught, her face strained and nearly on the verge of tears. The tall, silver youkai stared at her dead center while his lawyer tried to soothe her fears. Her eyes couldn't help but flicker over to his emotionless ones before being called back.

"You're not helping your case by overreacting. If you are in the right, then everything will be set to right and you can both put all this behind you. None of us wants to break up a legitimate family—"

"I for one could care less," Sesshoumaru interrupted, to which the short-haired attorney could only sigh.

"You go to hell, you bastard," she hissed. "If you think I will let you just waltz in here and snatch my daughter away, you've got another thing coming. You think because you've got money you can do whatever you want, but you're not going to lay a hand on my Rin."

The taiyoukai only checked his watch, motioning to his lawyer before breezing past her without even a dash of acknowledgement.

"We will see about that in court, human."

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much everyone for reviewing! I love to read them ~

Tune in next Friday for Chapter 4 ❤


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I hate to explain things outright like this, but a lot of people are getting confused about the legalities. Kagome's adoption would have been legal if Kagura was the only parent with rights. But Sesshoumaru had parental rights as well and he never agreed, so they broke the law. Also, Kagura faked Rin's death. That's no bueno, babes. That's out of the way so enjoy the rest of the story! ❤

* * *

It had been weeks since she'd last seen her. Kagome rolled over in her bed, pushing fluffy piles of tissues away as they tumbled down in little avalanches. Her cheap cell phone hissed again from the nightstand, and again she looked the other way. One of her three part-time jobs had already let her go for good. She no longer cared about the other two. The loss in income wouldn't be an issue anymore.

Instead, she rose to complete her new morning rounds now that days off were a reality. Kagome trudged through the empty apartment for a cup of stale coffee. It was tomblike in its solemn emptiness, the tiny space almost cavernous with echoes of her long absent girl. On her way back to her nest of crumpled tissues and half-eaten food, she stopped at the door opposite hers.

Since the day she was anonymously released on bail, Kagome had spent her time wailing pitifully on the child's bed. It didn't take long for her to realize that she couldn't stay coherent and reliable-looking in court if she kept doing so. So, she closed Rin's door and kept it sealed, banning herself from wallowing in her time capsule. She'd failed at scraping up enough sympathy for a lawyer pro bono, and her disinterested public defender had checked out as soon as their "mother's love" defense and Rin's own tearful testimony had failed to sway the judge. Despite the emotions involved, even she knew—from the moment she took Rin into her arms—that she was acting outside the law. He'd had his day in court... and he'd won.

She turned the handle, all the while gazing wistfully at the slightly skewed crayon drawing taped to the scratched and dented white door. Mama and Rin. Her red rimmed eyes started up again. It felt like she was visiting Rin's grave. Essentially, she was.

* * *

They sat in relative silence, aside from the clinking of the spoon against the porcelain bowl. Sesshoumaru lowered the report he was reading and set it next to his empty plate.

"You should not play with your food."

"..."

He sighed. The girl sat with her cheek propped on one little hand, still staring down into the colorful, soggy mess. He had been giving her time to adjust, as instructed. For the most part, she was left to her own devices and encouraged to get comfortable with her new, this time permanent, surroundings.

It was bad enough that she wanted that sugary junk food as breakfast, but after a day or two of it, she seemed more and more disinterested. He hadn't approved of it, but Sesshoumaru remembered the countless talks with her social worker and wanted to make an effort to help her get comfortable. The fact that he had even stopped to take his breakfast at the house was a shock to the few staff he had there during the day. But this was his pup. If she had to adjust, then so did he.

"I can have something cooked. A pup should not eat a cold breakfast," he said as he shifted in his seat, watching her face.

She simply pushed the bowl away.

"Not hungry..."

"You're going to waste away if you do not eat."

She looked up at him, but his attention had turned back to the page, scanning over gibberish she couldn't understand.

"I want my mama," she whispered.

He placed the paper face down onto the stack, not reacting when the maid came to take his plate away. He looked at her, her own eyes were affixed to the placemat.

"You are here with me, your true sire. Your pack. Anything or anyone else is not important."

"You keep saying that. What does it even mean? Pack pack pack..."

She stabbed at the rainbow buoys in her cereal. Sesshoumaru eyed her displeased expression, but in the end he simply grabbed the plain white mug beside his hand and took a sip, letting the conversation cool down first.

"You are a youkai, and not an ordinary one. There is a great lineage within you. You have missed out on so much as a result of your mother's treachery."

"But my mama didn't do anything wrong. She took care of me. Ever since I was a little baby when we first met. And it didn't matter that we were different, so why is any of it so important now? I still don't understand."

"That human woman is not your mother, Rin."

He internally cringed at himself for blurting it out, sighing.

"Your real mother, your birth mother, is the one that gave you up and betrayed me, lied to me. She and the Higurashi woman both knew that it was wrong. They had no right to keep you from me."

"But she _is_ my mama. Mamas check on you and hug you when you're sad. And make you breakfast and take care of you even when you break the rules sometimes. That other lady didn't do any of that stuff. She never even talked to me. She just sat there while the big judge talked and talked," Rin pouted.

Oddly enough, Sesshoumaru had nothing to say to this. The child was right. He watched her cross her arms and stare down into her lap. She had a fire in her, no doubt about that. She looked too small at the long, grand dining room table to be sitting there as irate as she was. A grown man would have been intimidated, fearful. But his pup was strong.

"You are a wise child, Rin, I will not deny you that. There are just some things you are not developed enough to understand. There are laws in this world. Those two broke those laws, and they are being punished in their own separate ways. Unfortunately, you have to suffer as well because of this."

He leaned forward, and before Rin's eyes he laid his large hand on the table, palm opened up to her. She eyed it, then him, but the gesture eventually gained a response. She placed her small hand into his, and in slow waves that calm feeling returned. Sesshoumaru held his daughter's gaze.

"I am not so naive, Rin. I know you do not want to be here. I have seen your bag."

Rin's eyes went wide, but he closed his fingers around hers before she could pull away, shaking his head.

"Shh. I am not upset. A pup is loyal. It is one of the laws of nature to be loyal to your family no matter what. You are not at fault for that. It was my mate that broke that particular pact. You got attached to that human and she became your family. I am cold, but I would be a fool to expect that to change overnight."

"So does that mean you'll let me go back home?" she asked, hope sprouting up within her.

Again, he shook his head, and it wilted away.

"I am sorry. This is the way things have to be."

Rin yanked her hand once, and on the second try it flew back, out of his lax fingers. Sesshoumaru watched her back as she stormed away from him, her single ponytail bobbing with her fury. The thumping footsteps echoed through the hall and up the main staircase. He sat back in his chair and stared down at his empty hand.

* * *

Kagome rested the new mail on the growing pile at the edge of the kitchen table. The bold, capital letters stamped on the outside of her utility bill did not surprise her, but it did bother her enough to shuffle it underneath the others.

She slumped into the hard kitchen chair, feet grateful for the release of pressure while her neck and shoulders still protested. It was enough of a miracle that she'd been taken back after missing so many shifts, but after a quick explanation of the custody battle, there was enough pity leftover for her manager to let her back on again. On a trial basis, of course.

It was times like these she wished she would resort to drinking to dull the pain. But apart from it being too expensive, she just couldn't see herself doing that to Rin. Rin who wasn't even there... Kagome brought her arm up to cover her face, shielding her tears from the hollow apartment.

Bzz. Bzz.

She fished around for the object in her pocket. Kagome cleared her throat of the unuttered weeping and straightened up.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Hellooo?"

She pulled the phone back for a second, just to check the caller ID, but instead of seeing her manager's name it simply read 'unknown.'

"This is... Kagome, isn't it?"

That voice. Kagome's hand flew to her mouth. Six years and she would never have forgotten Kagura's voice, though she only recently learned the woman's actual name.

"K… Kagura...?"

"Yeah, the one and only. Fancy talking to you again after... how long has it been? Six or seven?"

"It will be seven in September…"

"Of course, of course. I have to be brief. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you in the courtroom. My lawyers thought it would be best to say as little as possible. But I have to be quick, Kagome."

She raised an eyebrow at this, her anger slowly bubbling up from under her confusion.

"Kagura... why did you lie to me? Why did you do _any_ of this?"

"Look, I know you have questions. I wish I had time for them but I don't. But for the record, I never lied. He knows about her now, and he's been on a rampage from the moment he found out."

"Alright, once and for all, who in the seven hells is this mysterious 'He'!? Maybe you didn't lie, but you mislead me, Kagura. You had me thinking her father was the one putting her life in danger and all this time it was someone else? You made me look like a fool on the stand! You're the reason I have no visitation rights!"

"Calm down, will you!? You're not going to get anywhere if you blow your top instead of using your brain," Kagura snapped.

Kagome, on the other hand, stared incredulously into the phone for a second.

"Me!? Get _where_? It's over, in case you in all your infinite youkai hearing failed to notice in court. I've lost. Rin is never coming home and I'm not allowed anywhere near her, Kagura. And who could blame him? All he wanted was to start a life with his daughter and you snatched her away, using me as an accomplice!" she said as her shoulders shuddered.

Hot tears welled up along the edges of her vision.

"She was never in any danger. You wanted to get back at your ex because he had the nerve to disapprove of you sleeping around behind his back."

"You shut your filthy human mouth before I come and do it myself," Kagura snarled.

The two had a wordless standoff, the phone somehow transmitting the silent rage from either end. Kagome's voice leveled out, quieting down.

"I am only repeating the evidence—confirmed evidence—that was presented against you. You used me to get back at Sesshoumaru. Made me think he was some kind of monster, that I was doing something good. The only good thing that came out of it was that I was blessed with a few years in Rin's life. Too few."

"I wasn't lying, Kagome! Rin is still—"

Click.

Kagome tossed the phone haphazardly across the linoleum floor. It slid to a stop near her refrigerator and started another cacophony of buzzing. She turned her furious, watery eyes to the appliance littered with drawings and check marked spelling tests. Kagome clenched her fists until her dull nails dug into her skin. She screamed into her hands.

* * *

He stared past the bold lettering into the window across the street, watching the silhouettes inside as he leaned against the telephone pole. He was a far cry from the residents walking past and giving him furtive, sometimes outright awed glances. Humans, the majority of them. Youkai usually kept to themselves. Sesshoumaru was surprised that the lulls in foot traffic around him hadn't caught her attention as many times as she'd walked past the large window, the gaudy polka dot awning hovering over it by one screw too few.

It had been a good fifteen minutes, but he'd become acquainted enough with that scent to pick it out from the countless others mingling in the street. She was working inside. As soon as the table she was serving rose to their feet, he started off across the busy street.


	5. Chapter 5

"Welcome to Castilla's, how many in your party, sir?" the hostess asked through her plastic smile.

It wasn't until after she had grabbed the black menus that she paid him a good look. Her jaw hung loosely open as she stared up at him.

"One. That table."

He pointed to the window section, to the table that the previous couple had just vacated.

"W-we have a better table—"

Sesshoumaru had already started walking off before she had a chance to finish. The woman jogged lightly to keep up with him. He settled in to the still unbussed table, the hostess's litany of apologies piling up around his ears. With great trepidation, she set the menu on the crumbs before him, her eyes hissing at the busboy to get it in gear for their apparent surprise special guest.

"A server will be right with you, sir. Thank you for your patience."

Sesshoumaru gave her a disinterested 'hn' and left the little black book where she'd left it.

If it hadn't been so crowded, he would have been able to make out exactly what the hostess was whispering back in the kitchen, but it was enough to hear the frantic nature of her voice. He gave her another minute or two. Sesshoumaru sat like stone while the nervous teenage boy cleared his table of the previous couple's debris. Probably some big date for them, as there was a decent tip wedged under one of the empty plates.

He was left alone again, but he did not need to look when her honeyed scent began to grow more prominent. There was a hint of spice to it, unique from the mingling aromas in the restaurant. Her face was drawn into a tense frown.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered through the guise of a normal greeting, already aware he could hear her just fine even through the din of atmospheric music and silverware hitting plates.

He finally leaned back and turned his head to look up at her. Her ocean eyes were a whirl of emotions towards him, a confusing mix, not all positive. He didn't need her scent to explain that much.

"I want you to sit and talk to me, and I knew that you would not have agreed to meet after the way things went."

"You think so? You said that if I came within a mile of you or Rin that you would have me locked up for stalking!"

Kagome's voice had grown and drew an astonished look from the hostess at the podium. She straightened her posture with a smile, turning her back to the woman and blocking view of their conversation. Her voice dropped low once again.

"You made it exactly clear how you felt. Why come talk to me now, when we had all those opportunities before? I'm trying to move on without her. It's hard enough as it is."

After a second more to digest the situation, she brought a hand to her mouth. Sesshoumaru could immediately sense the doubling of her heartbeat.

"Did something happen to her?" she asked, trying to suppress the distinct tremble in her voice.

His expression dimmed at the thought, but the taiyoukai shook his head.

"No, thank the gods. Even if it had, I would not show up in the middle of a public place for something so dire."

"Then?"

"Sit down."

"I'm at work, Mister Taisho. I've already been standing here long enough. There are other tables, and I'm on thin ice as it is. I'm sorry, but whatever this is, it's going to have to wait."

Kagome brought her spiral pad out from where it was tucked into her apron and clicked her pen.

"What can I get for you, sir?"

He sighed and leaned an elbow against the table, giving her a bored expression.

"Coffee. I am prepared for a wait."

She gave an exasperated exhale, but nodded and headed off for the coffee station. Kagome pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen, trying to even her breathing and force her eyes to stay open until the sheen over them dried away. It seemed outright dangerous to hope that she could see Rin again, not after all the silent fury she'd seen from him in court. But if Rin wasn't in trouble, then what was he there to tell her? The answer to that question haunted her throughout the rest of her shift, and grew in intensity with every stolen glance of the motionless man.

* * *

Four hours had passed before the dinner crowd began to thin. That same cup of coffee sat empty in front of him, save for a small dark brown ring at the very bottom. Both the hostess and the manager had grilled her about him, but neither of them was brave enough to approach. He didn't seem to want to do much but sit there, but he wasn't bothering anyone outright. Kagome would just have to lose out on those potential tips while he hogged the table, but they would let her handle whatever business this was, given her circumstances.

She walked up to the barren table for the first time since placing the cup down on it, and sat opposite him. His golden eyes opened to find hers looking directly into them.

"I was almost starting to grow bored," he stated flatly.

Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"I have to make a living somehow."

"Hn. Now, about this matter. I will not try to hide my intentions. I've come for your assistance."

Kagome drew a blank expression for several long seconds. He raised a hand to stop her before she could even process a response.

"I know that you probably want nothing to do with helping me after all that was said—"

"You didn't listen. You didn't even give me a chance, or her for that matter. You _demonized_ me in court."

This time Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes.

"You know what I meant."

"I am not asking for my sake. You do want to see her again, don't you?"

Kagome felt her heart jump. She pursed her lips to keep the bottom one from quivering.

"You're going to bribe me with her? Wasn't it you who refused the judge's suggestion for visitation? You don't seem like the kind of man to change your mind on a whim, especially after how confident you seemed that I was a malicious kidnapper."

She stared him down for a moment, neither making a move. Kagome studied his elegant features, but no part of his face betrayed any of his inner thoughts. She took a slow breath.

"How long did it take for her to try to run away?"

He straightened a bit.

"She tried the first time the night I brought her home... How did you know? Did she call you?"

Kagome shook her head with a sort of sad smile on her lips.

"I know my child."

Sesshoumaru sighed. He moved the empty cup aside, removing the only obstruction between them but the table itself.

"Perhaps you do, much better than I do for certain. I have come to realize that I may have been hasty in my decision making. For the position that I was in, I expect you to understand, even if you try not to empathize with me."

"Of course I do," she admitted through her sigh. "The more I found out, the more I thought about it, I realized just how much I'd been manipulated into despising you. What Kagura did to you was… horrific. And in the end, I helped her do it. I'm still not sure why she even thought of such a foul thing to do, or why she involved me. But now everyone is paying for it. This can't be the happy ending you were hoping for, you know it isn't."

The silver youkai turned his head, looking through the reversed letters on the window out into the busy sidewalk. He caught a glimpse of a young girl about his Rin's age and height, and then lost her in the crowd.

"Things were not perfect between us. To be honest, Rin was the only thing that would have held us together. If it was to keep a family together for my pup, I was willing to try. She had her own plans, though... Kagura. Now the girl won't even look at me. She skirts around me like I am some kind of beast guarding her cage. But she belongs with me. My first child, my only heir..."

He ran a clawed hand over his forehead and into his snowy hair.

"After I found out that she had lived I was tunnel visioned on getting her back to me. But blood does not seem to matter to her. She wants you, and you cannot have her."

Kagome lowered her eyes to green and white cloth covering the table. She kept her gaze on her neatly folded hands.

"I'm sorry... There's probably no way I could ever properly apologize. I didn't even know who you were—who she was—and I let my emotions get the best of me and lead me to do something awful to you. And even to Rin, even though we got some happy years out of it. She should have had the chance to grow up with her father, not be snatched away. You didn't deserve that."

"None of us did, Miss Higurashi. If I were to despise you for caring so fiercely for my own pup, I would be a hypocrite and a disgrace to her. You acted on instinct as a mother, Kagura was only taking advantage of those instincts and your state at the time."

Neither said anything after that for a good while, both studying their side of the tablecloth and trying to ignore the tense gap between, them both in distance and in thought. Sesshoumaru stirred first. It was not a very large table, after all. He reached out, taking one of her hands in his larger ones. The look in his molten eyes was immeasurably softer than the man she'd seen glaring her down in her home, in the courtroom. She gasped slightly at the foreignness of the contact.

"I did not listen..." Sesshoumaru started. "I was so infuriated. But honestly, you are the only one who can understand. They told me she had never taken her first breath. Dead and gone, and I never even got the chance to see her. When I finally found out..."

He released a shaky, pent up sigh.

"I lay awake at night and think about if she would have gotten hit by a car, or if someone would have broken into your apartment and harmed her. Anything could have happened and I would have never been there to protect her. And when Kagura would finally deign to tell me the truth, I would find out that my daughter was dead all over again. I check on her constantly, just to make sure she is still with me."

Kagome watched his head lower the more he talked, his shoulders starting to sag under the weight of his fears and in turn crumble away at his indestructible demeanor. She wrapped her captured hand around his more fully, her free hand joining them. He looked up at her. If it weren't for the evening sun playing tricks of light here and there through the large window, she would have sworn she could just glimpse the wellspring of despair he kept so neatly packed away.

"I had to get her back. I am sorry that I had to take her from you to do it. The more information that comes to me, the more I have come to realize that Kagura played you for a fool as much as she did me. You have been a grieving parent for as long as I have, the only difference is that your son will never come back. And now you are grieving for two."

Kagome swallowed her tears and tried to maintain a normal face, but her shoulders began to shiver all the same. She sniffled, and took the hand not clasped between his own to brush away her stubborn tears. Sesshoumaru gave her a moment to collect herself.

"I can offer you this much: If you love her... come and see her. She will not cooperate without you, that much is painfully obvious. Will you at least consider it?"

"What kind of ridiculous question is that? Of course I will. I've been here crying my eyes out over the fact that I thought I would never see her face again. Why would you think my response would be any different than it was at those hearings?"

"Because of how forcefully I attacked you. I was not willing to hear anything but the judge ruling in my favor. I thought you and Kagura were working together from the start."

He finally looked up at her again, some of the previous sadness dissipating like water rolling off his back.

"Do not misunderstand me, Miss Higurashi. I am not saying things will be like they used to be between you. Rin is never leaving my side again. I know your intentions were good, and you were a good mother to her. You treated her no differently than you would have your own son, nursed her from the milk you would have given him. I cannot say I am happy that you had to, but I am glad Kagura at least chose someone competent to mother my pup. But..."

He stared into her, trying to see if she was taking any of his words to heart.

"But I cannot risk losing her again. You may see her at my home and nowhere else, and you may only see her if I am present and have given express permission beforehand. You will not be allowed to take her off the premises or anywhere I cannot at least hear you both. If these terms seem unfair, then I am sorry. But they are my only and final offer."

Kagome's face scrunched slightly as she thought things over. It did not seem to matter what he said or how he said it. This was an opportunity she thought she would never get again.

"I understand. I would probably be less forgiving if it was the other way around, you know. But I get it. If I refused to see her over something as ridiculous as a few rules, then what kind of mother would I be anyway? Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there for her."

Kagome nearly broke at that last part, the emotions finally reaching the point of overflow. So many memories were flooding back, the excitement and the sorrow mingling together and surging against the walls of her heart. Sesshoumaru watched an errant tear slide down her cheek and plop onto the table near their joined hands, suddenly becoming aware of how long they had been sharing the intimate contact. He did not immediately pull away. He slowly removed his hands from hers, watching as one darted up to dry her cheek.

"I will have a car sent for you tomorrow afternoon," he said as he slid his business card across the table. "You can call me if anything comes up."

* * *

A/N: ;u; Thank you for reading, everyone. I teared up a little here and there with this chapter, but it was just soo darn sweet ❤


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Announcement! I am traveling to London this week and will not be posting for the next two Fridays (Feb 24 and March 3). The story is still chugging along just fine, don't worry ~

* * *

Kagome felt her palms starting to sweat as she stood on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to wait inside. If she did, somewhere in the pit of her soul she knew that she might miss it, that the car would drive off without seeing her and Sesshoumaru would have a change of heart after their failed meetup. He'd called and she had been given an ETA of around forty-five minutes. She was heading out the door before he even hung up.

Restlessness was gnawing at the edges of her patience before long. She tried focusing on her surrounding and taking interest in the mundane happenings of her fellow residents, but all that remained constant in her head was Rin. Every car that pulled into the cracked parking lot was another jolt in her heartbeat. She kept her phone clutched in her hand, making sure time and again that it wasn't on silent or dead. The driver had her number, she was told.

She managed to train herself to drown out the familiar cars coming and going. The strain was becoming too much, anyway. It felt like an age, but something different finally came into her field of vision. Even just at her periphery she could tell it wasn't another one of her neighbors. This car wasn't dented and chipping paint, it was pristine. It shone an impeccable midnight black, polished from bumper to bumper. She hadn't realized she was gaping until the car stopped in front of her and she could see her own reflection in its windows.

Kagome snapped her mouth closed and stood, just as the driver was letting himself out. He tipped his hat in her direction.

"Kagome Higurashi?" the man asked, walking around the car when she nodded.

He pulled the passenger back door open and ushered her in with a sweep of his arm. Still tense, Kagome glanced around, seeing a few of her neighbors peeping from slats in closed blinds and through their doors, but she took a breath and stepped into the lavish interior. The thunk of the car doors sounded out twice, and then they were off.

* * *

She didn't talk for most of the ride, fiddling with her hands and trying to focus on the scenery whizzing by the window instead of her own speeding heart rate.

"So, how is your day going?" he asked.

She snapped back to the present and caught his gaze in the rearview mirror.

"I'm sorry, I just realized I haven't said two words to you this entire time."

The driver chuckled before waving a white gloved hand.

"It's no problem. I've been informed of your visit with Lord Sesshoumaru and Rin. You're probably just nervous."

Her head tilted at the mention of Rin's name.

"You know her?" she asked, and the driver nodded.

"Yes ma'am. I drive her to and from her new school every day. She's a really sweet girl. A pleasure to be around."

Kagome relaxed into her seat a little bit. It seemed so odd for other people to be involved in her child's life in her absence. For Kagome, time had just stopped altogether, but Rin was still living a life without her. A new school, maybe even new friends. She smiled in spite of her own sad state as of late.

"I know. She can really brighten a room. I'm so nervous about seeing her again... if anything's changed."

"That's natural, but if I may be so frank? I don't think she's the type to change on a whim. When I first started driving her she wouldn't speak a peep. Just sat there. But you can tell that it wasn't her style, and eventually she couldn't keep a sour face for too long."

The driver laughed to himself, probably remembering some little joke between him and the girl. It was slow to take hold, but a similar smile began to spread across her own face. She took a deep breath to calm herself further. Maybe things would be alright.

* * *

She could hardly register the sound of him inputting the key code at the main gate, so distracted was she by the sprawling home in the distance. It truly was a real, actual manor. If it wasn't she couldn't think of a better descriptor. The landscape of gently rolling hills welcomed them as they drove up the curved drive, which lead to a circular parking area right in front of the house. There were clusters of wildflowers growing around trees and shrubs, swaying gently in the light breeze. She could smell their sweetness from the moment the door was opened for her. It was like wandering into a painting.

The driver was patient with her as she gawked, but he soon cleared his throat, chuckling at her nervous blush.

"Right up the stairs, ma'am."

They both turned to see that the front doors had been opened slightly to reveal an older woman's face. Kagome glanced between the driver and housekeeper, giving him a quick thanks before ascending the stone stairs.

"Miss Higurashi? Welcome, dear. Lord Sesshoumaru is finishing up a business call, but you can follow me to the parlor and have a seat until he is ready."

Kagome was already feeling the butterflies return from their brief migration. She nodded stiffly, following behind the elderly woman and keeping to her slow, arthritic pace. It gave her enough time to look around more. All the while there was a nagging hope nipping at her that she would catch a glimpse of Rin somewhere.

* * *

Rin's nose rumpled as she tapped her foot. He had the curtains drawn for some reason, the meanie. She had managed to busy herself coloring for some time, but the suspense was digging ever deeper into her mind. What were they waiting for? Over the rim of her coloring book, she eyed her father figure with intense scrutiny. He'd been near-whispering harsh phrases into the phone for ages, but every once in a while he would stop and remind her that they would go soon. She didn't particularly mind the daily time spent in his study. He usually didn't bother her, and she most often returned the favor. But today a surprise was involved.

The moment he hung up the phone she jumped from her place in the armchair. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, and a faint smile graced his lips as he shook his head.

"I apologize for the steep delay. Perhaps next time I will let you handle it—maybe things will finally get done," he joked.

If Rin got it, she did not laugh. She shuffled her feet instead and pouted.

"Can we go now? I want to see what this thing is," she said with a twinge of ire to her voice.

She was so sweet to everyone else, but with him it was still like this. He pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose, but ushered her to the door nonetheless. Rin bounded out at the cue.

She had to repeatedly stop in order to let him catch up. It figured. The one time he decided to be oh so gracefully slow was when she was finally excited about something. But as they were making the slow, grueling trip down the stairs, her nose rumpled up again. That wasn't right... There was no way...

Rin's head snapped back at him, and Sesshoumaru continued past.

"She will not be able to visit with you here on the stairs, Rin. Come."

He expected an excited outburst of some kind, maybe for her to bolt past him like a wild stallion into the parlor and crash into the woman with all her might. Anything other than the tiny sniffle that met his sensitive ears. Sesshoumaru came to an abrupt halt. He turned to face her, still on the last few stairs, her height grazing his elbows if she really tried. Her entire face was contorted in the most painful display of sorrow... or was it joy? Either way, it did not look pleasant. He stepped a little closer.

"What is the matter? I thought that this would make you happy. Why are you crying?" he said, trying his best to soften his usually commanding voice.

Rin scrubbed her face with her sleeve. She bit down on her shaky lip and tried to look big, but she was still quivering like a calf in winter. And her legs would not move. Sesshoumaru's eyebrows knit together in genuine concern. With some trepidation, he reached out and landed a large hand on her shoulder.

"...I am sorry. I overwhelmed you. Please forgive me, Rin. Perhaps this was too much too soon."

She shook her head with a fury that jolted even the taiyoukai.

"No! Don't tell her to leave!"

She broke down into sobs and finally unglued her feet from the bottom third step. Rin landed on the floor and took off for the parlor. She didn't make it to the end of the hall before Kagome's head poked out the door.

They were both stuck in time for less than a second upon meeting eyes with each other. The woman burst out of the room and scooped Rin up into her arms, crushing her in a tearful hug. Rin reciprocated, and they both babbled unintelligible nonsense into each other's shoulders, slowly becoming a soggy mess while Sesshoumaru watched not ten feet away. He gave them time to calm down.

"Why don't we all sit down so you two may get more properly reacquainted?"

Kagome did an admirable job of drying her eyes and agreed. Rin's questions had started to trickle out and replace the crying. This was not a bad thing ultimately, but some of them would have to be answered in a calmer manner to avoid any compounding confusion.

* * *

Rin could only stare up at Kagome as if she were some kind of marble statue as she sat on her lap, still clutching onto her clothing as if she feared her fading away. The woman stroked her hair with her free hand, sometimes pulling her in for a random hug for no reason other than the overflow of emotion getting the best of her.

They sat by an unlit fireplace in a cozy little cul-de-sac of armchairs. Neither seemed to pay much mind to the taiyoukai sitting opposite them, close enough for his long legs to nearly graze Kagome's.

"This is the best... I missed you so so much. Why didn't you come sooner?"

Kagome's smile faltered a little, and she looked to Sesshoumaru for ideas. When it seemed he didn't have any, she sighed.

"I—"

"She and I needed time to work things out. But she always wanted to come and see you, do not mistake that. I just decided that now would be a good time to do it."

"...visit?" Rin asked, craning her neck to see him over her shoulder while maintaining her vice grip on Kagome. "So I'm not going home?"

"Rin..." Kagome started.

She felt like an arrow had just pierced her chest at the disappointment in the little girl's voice. Rin looked up to her, confusion etched into her young face.

"I know it's still hard to understand, but this is where you're supposed to live now. Mister Taisho is your father. It wasn't his fault he lost you, sweetie. I did a bad thing not giving you back right away. But now we have to get used to these... changes."

Sesshoumaru relaxed a little. It would seem he didn't need to intervene.

"You sound just like him. It's not fair! It's not my fault that lady gave me to you, either, so why do I have to give things up? I wanna go home with you!"

She devolved into blubbering and then wailing until all her words were blurred, but still understandable to a degree. Rin buried her face in Kagome's chest, and the woman rubbed her back and tried soothing her as best she could. It was getting difficult to maintain her own composure.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, sighing. It was expected, but that did not make it any easier to listen to.

"You will be able to see Miss Higurashi many times if you wish, Rin. I will not say whenever you want, but as long as she is free and we are home, I see no issue with her visiting. And if she can't visit for some reason, you can talk on the phone. It will not be like before. I promise."

He reached out, resting his fingers on her small arm, expecting her to jerk it away like so many times before. Instead, she turned her tear-streaked face to him.

Sesshoumaru didn't lie. None of the things he had told her thus far had failed to come true, even if she didn't like all of them. Being in her mother's arms again, feeling happy and safe for the first time in forever… If he said she could come back, she would hold him to it.

"...okay. But you'd better not be lying."

At this skeleton of a threat, he actually smirked.

"Haven't you noticed yet that people smell funny when they lie?"

Rin touched her finger to her chin before her eyes lit up in realization.

"Wait… that's right. Mama, why didn't you tell me that?"

Kagome almost laughed at the sudden change, her own misty eyes having since dried.

"I can't really teach you things like that, sad to say. It's a good thing now you have somebody who can" she said with a smile, and both she and Sesshoumaru shared a knowing glance.

* * *

A/N: Apologize for any errors in the chapter, I couldn't read over it much (still wanted to get it out on time and I'm super tired from work) But I hope you all enjoyed the feels!


	7. Chapter 7

Red... it was the color of boldness. Of freedom. No one ever failed to notice the color red, even the most muted varieties. Passionate and dangerous and alive. It was how she lived those many years before him, and the six after. But now Kagura found herself disenchanted with even her own face, marred with lines of worry across her forehead. She was tired of the lies and the hiding, the concern. If Sesshoumaru had only kept his curiosity to himself and not investigated...

She lifted herself to a sitting position, surrounded by crimson and black pillows on silk sheets. The entire room was shrouded in a cherry colored haze as the early sun filtered through the curtains. Kagura gently placed the hand mirror she'd been inspecting herself with on the night stand beside her. She'd managed to put on some semblance of her normal expression. Naraku hadn't seemed to notice anyway. He was too hell bent on getting what he wanted to care. Her wiles did nothing anymore. She looked over at him. He was very obviously awake. He'd been awake when she drifted off, reading, planning. He'd probably not slept the entire night.

"Hey..." she started, "Let's do something today. Anything. It's been so boring lately. Why don't we go out tonight?"

"I can't," he responded.

Kagura clenched her teeth for a second, then sighed.

"And why not? Why this time, Naraku? You've been ignoring me for weeks now, and it's getting old."

She watched his shoulder finally move as he turned over, and their crimson eyes met, genuine concern buried in his.

"Kagura, no... You know that I have business to take care of still. I'm just having a hard time figuring out how to go about it. You know I would never ignore you." Naraku grinned. "How could I?"

"Well you've been doing a great job of it despite it all. Why do you have to do this? It's in the past. We've made it this long and nothing bad has happened. What can you possibly gain by hunting her like a crazy person?"

The air around him quickly changed. It was thick and foreboding. Naraku sat up in bed and stared her directly in the eye. He reached up and cupped her cheek.

"It's not the girl's fault for being born. I know I may make it seem that way, but even I'm not that callous. I don't even blame you for letting her get away... I should have guessed that you wouldn't be able to do it. Mother's instincts. I put too much pressure on you to do something I should have done in the first place."

His thumb brushed across her skin in an almost soothing manner. Kagura felt a bit of the pressure in the room subside. She lifted her manicured hand to rest against the one on her face.

"Then why can't you just let this go? Just leave her alone, Naraku. Look at all you've built. You're successful, I thought we were happy together. Sesshoumaru no longer cares about whatever happened between you two in the past, and neither should you—"

She winced, a drop of her own crimson blood beading on her cheek where his claw had pricked. He pulled her closer, a growl in his throat.

"He. Took. Everything from me. He even got you. That was the worst. He got you on top of it all."

She could see the rage swirling in his eyes. His nostrils flared as he spoke.

"I was forced to bow to that disgusting dog, call him 'Lord'. And to watch you two together in public... only for you to try to mask his scent in private with me. How low, that you would even have to do that. And then, right as you had gathered the courage to leave, the bastard pups you just to spite me!"

"You know it wasn't like that, Naraku!"

Kagura jerked away, ending his painful grip. He stared at her, motionless, hand still floating where she'd left it.

"Are you defending him?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

"No, I'm not. But you know that I was still unsure. And we had to wait until I was far enough along to even know if it was yours or his. Do you know how hard I prayed to every god imaginable that it was yours?"

"But she was not. At the end of the day, it was just one more stain to remind me of what he took from me. Even if I have you, that girl exists. I can't have it, Kagura. I won't accept it. I know that somewhere inside you care for the child, you may even care for him," he grimaced. "But a bond between you and that mongrel? Living for hundreds of years? Growing, spiting me just by drawing breath? No. He won't have a piece of you. Not while I'm alive."

Kagura rose form the bed, wrapping a silk robe around her to cover her bare skin.

"I cannot do this with you right now. You refuse to listen to any reason."

"Life doesn't always follow reason. You didn't want her, either. You've said so yourself," he retorted.

"That doesn't mean I wanted her dead!" Kagura snapped. She whirled on him, this time the one consumed with fury.

"I've given you everything you ever asked for. Done things he would have and could have never done for you. And you never complained before, even when you knew exactly how I've had to go about them." Naraku's eyes narrowed on her face. "The only thing I ask of you now, love, is that you stay out of my way and let me have justice against the one man who has put me through so much pain."

Kagura clenched her fists, her face pinched in anger. She stormed across the room, towards the door. She didn't want to curse Rin, but she did. Rin's existence had threatened to tear her only happiness apart at birth, and now it was happening all over again. But she knew that she couldn't place the blame on the child's shoulders. She cursed Sesshoumaru for finding Rin. She cursed Kagome for being so convenient. And she cursed herself for still loving Naraku despite it all.

* * *

A/N: A shorter chapter than usual. But I figured it was better to post than no chapter at all. Next chapter next Friday ~


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